Page 112 of Ensnared
“Are you alright?” Gideon steps back, watching me closely. “You look sick.”
I bite my tongue to give me something else to focus on and force a smile. “Fine.”
“Oh.” He closes his eyes and exhales dramatically. “That makes so much more sense.” He looks both directions, noticing that the kids are dragging their bags out the front door. He waves at them. Then he drops his voice to a whisper. “He’s forcing you.”
“No,” I say.
“Of course you can’t say, not if he’s making you act like this. He’s sicker than I thought—he forces you to pretend to like him, and then he makes you act like it’s your decision.” He swears. “I hated him before, but this is disgusting.” He frowns. “Or is it Azar that’s forcing you now? Either way.”
“Gideon—”
He covers my mouth and looks over the balcony. “Shh.”
“It’s really not—” But mumbling against his hand isn’t getting intelligible words out, much less anything that might convince him.
“I swear to you, Elizabeth, by all humanity, by everything we hold dear, by everything I ever fought for, I will slay Azar, and Axel too. I’ll kill them both, and I’ll free you, and one day, we’ll both heal from this.” He releases me and ducks down close. “I love you, Liz. I always have. You and I, we’re meant to be. This isn’t the end. Don’t give up hope.”
I just sigh and nod.
Gideon leans toward me then, and I realize he’s about to kiss me. If he does that. . .
An image of a pile of ashes that used to be Gideon flashes before my eyes. Azar’ll do it—I have no doubt. And he’ll know he kissed me, thanks to the new and improved mega-bond. I shove him backward, but that sends Gideon flying over the edge of the stairs.
I reach for him, desperate to stop him from falling, and he freezes mid-air.
Gideon’s floating, his legs up over his head, his head a half dozen inches away from striking the wooden stairs below.
“Whoa,” Sammy says. “You can make people fly now?”
I freak out, dropping my hands, and Gideon falls with a thunk, his head striking the stairs after all. Thankfully, it’s only a drop of about six inches, so he rolls over once and manages to struggle back to his feet.
“What was that?” Gideon asks.
“I’m bonded to Azar now,” I say. “I guess it comes with some perks.”
Judging from the roar outside, it also comes with a tighter leash.
“We should go.”
By the time I get outside, Coral and Jade are already on Rufus’ back, and Sammy’s scrambling up on Gordon like they’re old friends.
Gideon rides with Sammy, Azar says.
“We’re all headed for Azar’s home,” I say. “It’s the J.P. Morgan Chase tower.”
“We’re going to live in a business building?” Jade asks.
“It has a really nice penthouse,” I say.
“But how are we going to get up there?” Jade asks.
“Elevators,” I say. “I assume.”
Not you. You’ll be flying, Azar says, smug through and through.
“That sounds cool,” Sammy says. “But what about your humans?”
They’ll be brought, Azar says. New lodgings will be assigned. Don’t worry.
